The Shelby-Griffin Report presents the 21st annual tribute to Women of Influence in the food industry. For 21 years, we’ve honored the outstanding women shaping the food industry—from executives and innovators to mentors and community leaders. This year’s nominees represent a diverse range of roles, backgrounds, and regions, each making a profound impact in their careers and beyond.
Explore their stories below, and join us in celebrating their achievements.
2026 Women of Influence
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Ali
Senior Merchandiser, Gelson's Markets
Read MoreLisa Ali brings exceptional expertise and passion to her role, where she oversees merchandising strategy, product innovation and training across all store locations.
A nationally recognized cheese expert, she is among fewer than 100 Certified Cheese sensory evaluators in the United States and one of fewer than 50 IDDBA Certified Salumieres nationwide. These credentials reflect her deep knowledge of specialty foods.
Ali has been instrumental in elevating Gelson's specialty cheese and charcuterie programs through innovative product selections, strategic vendor partnerships and engaging customer education events. She also mentors and trains cheese mongers across the organization, helping store teams build expertise that enhances the customer experience and drives sales.
Through her leadership, industry involvement and dedication to education, Ali continues to strengthen Gelson's reputation as a premier destination for specialty cheese and gourmet foods.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Lam
Retail and Data Systems Specialist, Schraad Sales & Marketing
Read MoreLisa Lam's influence comes from her ability to solve complex operational challenges while enabling others across the organization to succeed. In her current role, she designs and maintains the retail execution infrastructure that connects field activity to measurable business outcomes. Lam's work ensures field teams focus on the right stores, leadership has reliable data for decision-making and execution strategies translate into results.
In just a few years in the industry, she has demonstrated exceptional results-oriented performance. Lam led the rebuild of the company's retail execution "Route List" infrastructure, standardizing how more than 5,800 stores connect to 95 territories and multiple customer and distributor networks. This transformation reduced manual data reconciliation by about 96 percent, saving teams an estimated 15 -- 20 hours each week while improving store coverage visibility from about 60 percent to more than 85 percent.
Lam's leadership is grounded in collaboration, mentorship and clarity. She partners with sales, retail operations and analytics teams to ensure systems reflect how people work in the field. She also maintains internal documentation and mentors peers and new hires, helping preserve institutional knowledge and build solutions that strengthen the organization over time.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLisa Tiblow
Store Director, Brookshire Grocery Co.
Read MoreLisa Tiblow leads with passion, purpose and an unwavering commitment to her employee-partners, community and business. She began her career as a deli clerk a decade ago and advanced through multiple leadership roles by consistently demonstrating excellence, resilience and a servant-leader mindset.
Tiblow delivers measurable results. In her first year in her current role, she increased average weekly sales by 3.8 percent while reducing labor costs and shrink -- demonstrating her ability to balance growth with operational discipline. She sets clear expectations, builds strong teams and leads by example daily.
Tiblow's impact is most evident in the culture she has created. Under her leadership, her store achieved the highest improvement in partner turnover companywide and recorded the lowest overall turnover rate last year. She fosters accountability and creates an environment where partners feel supported, valued and empowered.
Tiblow's commitment extends beyond her store through involvement with Habitat for Humanity, local schools, Junior Achievement and other community initiatives, reflecting her belief that strong businesses build strong communities. Customer feedback consistently reflects the service culture Tiblow champions -- one rooted in care, urgency and genuine connection.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLiz Bleakley
Global Head of Public Relations and Communications, St Pierre Bakery
Read MoreLiz Bleakley joined St Pierre Groupe in 2020. Her influence spans the entire organization in markets including the UK, Ireland, UAE, Spain and the United States, where she shapes brand reputation, corporate narrative and stakeholder engagement.
Bleakley leads global PR strategy while managing agency partners, budgets and trade advertising across the UK and U.S. She develops communications that resonate with trade, consumer and B2B audiences, supporting brand perception and commercial performance.
In 2025, Bleakley delivered several high-impact projects that elevated brand visibility. She led the U.S. PR launch of the "Eat Avec Respect" platform, creating a news-led strategy built on original research into American perceptions of French culture. A filmed stunt in Venice Beach brought the story to life, generating 70 pieces of coverage across major outlets including the New York Post, Yahoo and The Sun U.S., while also providing valuable content for social channels and customer presentations.
Bleakley also played a key role in the brand's largest-ever activation at IDDBA 2025, securing 15 pieces of trade coverage with major U.S. publications, further cementing the brand's leadership within the category. Through creative thinking, strategic insight and strong leadership, she consistently delivers communications that strengthen reputation and drive commercial impact.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLiz Casas
District Manager, Ralphs
Read MoreLiz Casas' career in the food industry spans 36 years, and her 11 years of exceptional service as a district manager demonstrate her unwavering commitment to developing people, elevating store performance and shaping the next generation of leaders.
Casas has had a profound impact on leadership development across the Ralphs organization. Many of today's district managers were mentored by her and their growth and success are direct reflections of her influence. She fosters an environment where professional development, work‑life balance and shared success are prioritized and she articulates the company's vision in a way that inspires teams to feel valued and motivated.
Casas' leadership is equally evident in her operational excellence. She has received multiple best‑in‑class awards for composite score results and customer experience - clear evidence of her ability to deliver profitable, controllable performance while maintaining an unwavering focus on delivering best‑in‑class customer service. She leads by example, championing a simple and powerful philosophy: When we keep the customer at the center of everything we do, loyalty and strong sales naturally follow.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Casas contributes to communities and demonstrates creative, people‑first thinking in every initiative she leads. Her influence is felt across her teams, her peers and our stores.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLorena Aguilar
Division Operations Manager, Food 4 Less/Foods Co.
Read MoreLorena Aguilar's leadership is centered on supporting people and building partnerships that help stores succeed. She provides operational support across multiple districts, ensuring teams have the resources needed to deliver for customers and associates.
A key part of Aguilar's impact is building relationships so stores receive the right support at the right time. She works with partners across operations, facilities, food safety and merchandising to coordinate solutions and remove barriers. She brings the right groups together quickly to clarify priorities and help stores focus on a clear plan. She is known for consistency, responsiveness and a focus on follow-through.
People development is a core element of Aguilar's leadership. She sets clear expectations, coaches on effective store support and reinforces leadership behaviors that build trust and accountability. She believes strong performance starts with strong leaders and she takes pride in helping others grow.
Community impact matters to Aguilar, as grocery retail is essential in everyday life. She never hesitates to donate her time to efforts that strengthen families and communities through food donation.
She leads with humility, integrity and commitment to teamwork. By building cross-functional relationships, developing people and ensuring stores have the support they need, she creates lasting impacts for associates, customers and our communities.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLori Turner
Executive Director of Communications, Associated Wholesale Grocers
Read MoreWorking her way up the corporate ladder from a support role to executive director, Lori Turner demonstrates the balance required to succeed in a rapidly evolving industry. Her career reflects not only hard work and determination but a deep understanding of how organizations function at their best. As AWG's board liaison and a direct partner to the CEO, that balance becomes essential. Turner helps keep strong leadership aligned -- managing personalities, navigating substantive differences and ensuring focus on shared objectives. In environments where strong voices can either elevate or divide, she manages, supports and guides to drive meaningful results. In leading internal and external communication strategies for more than 1,100 member retailers and nearly 5,000 employees, Turner defines the voice of the organization. She understands that how a message is delivered often determines its impact. Serving as the final check, she ensures communication is clear, effective and aligned to achieve results. Beyond financial success, she measures impact through contributions to the community. As former chair of AWG Cares, Turner led the company's charitable foundation, guiding philanthropic initiatives that extended well beyond the organization and into the communities it serves. She also plays a leadership role in a multigenerational family business in the Kansas City region. Simply put, she is a woman who gets the job done.
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2026 Women of InfluenceLucy Gibbons
Store Director, Lowes Foods
Read MoreLucy Gibbons improved the profitability of her store in 2025 by leading her team to have a sales-driven focus. She collaborated with her business partners to ensure the right items were selected across the departments for maximum benefit to the bottom line.
Along the way, she developed two new department managers -- one in deli and the other in the Beef Shoppe -- by setting clear expectations, following up and coaching.
Gibbons has been a Girl Scout leader since 2008 and is currently mentoring two troops. She also has been the head volunteer for the Mooresville, North Carolina, area since 2013.
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2026 Women of InfluenceMacaela LeClair
Category Manager for Deli and Prepared Foods, Brookshire Grocery Co.
Read MoreMacaela LeClair is an innovative, results-driven leader whose impact at BGC reflects the qualities celebrated by the Women of Influence award. In her current role, she oversees assortment planning, pricing, promotions, merchandising, forecasting, vendor partnerships and long-term strategy across five banners. Her disciplined focus on quality, efficiency and customer experience consistently delivers above-market performance.
Over five years of driving category growth, LeClair has combined strong analytical skills with deep consumer insight to achieve measurable results. She increased deli sales 3 percent year over year through optimized assortment and pricing strategies and her creation and rollout of a new deli meal program generated $8 million in incremental revenue in its first year.
LeClair's ability to interpret shopper and market data keeps her categories competitive and positioned for sustained growth. She strengthens profitability through strategic vendor partnerships, skillful negotiation and impactful promotional programs. Her leadership has improved execution, consistency, freshness and availability across the enterprise.
Committed to excellence, she pursues advanced industry training and regularly visits stores to ensure planogram compliance, gather feedback and uphold high standards. LeClair's vision, leadership and results make her a standout leader whose influence elevates both BGC and the grocery industry.
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2026 Women of InfluenceMarnie Nemcoff
Director of E-Commerce, Gelson's Markets
Read MoreMarnie Nemcoff plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's digital grocery experience and driving omnichannel growth. Overseeing Gelson's online shopping platforms and partnerships with Instacart and DoorDash, she ensures a seamless connection between technology, merchandising and customer experience. Her leadership has helped grow Gelson's digital business.
Known for her strategic mindset and cross-functional leadership, Nemcoff works closely with marketing, IT and category management teams to implement innovative digital marketing initiatives, improve site functionality and enhance customer engagement. She also spearheaded key partnerships and artificial intelligence-driven marketing tools that continue to expand Gelson's digital reach.
Through her forward-thinking leadership and commitment to innovation, Nemcoff is helping position Gelson's as a leader in the evolving world of online grocery retail.
Celebrating the Women of Influence in the food industry for 21 years!
Presented by The Shelby-Griffin Report
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